The Promise of Unopened

A stack of brand new books that I received as gifts this Christmas sits before me on the table. The widest book is on the bottom and the pile thins as it grows upwards. All of these books remain unopened.

Yes, all are still unopened. Their covers lay completely flat. The pages are all perfectly aligned with a crispness to them. None of these books show the signs of love- weathered pages, crinkles on the spine, fingerprint stains in the margins.

I eagerly anticipate the stiff raising of the cover and fanning it to the left for the first time. The creaky sound that the binding makes as it opens to the world. My hand sliding from the top to the bottom to crease the cover into submission to stay in its new location.

I can’t wait to open each one in turn and release its ideas, stories and perspectives into my mind. Where will these books take me? I hope they will live up to their promise captured within their unopened state.

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